Generally, the disc-shaped information carriers are stored together with casings in drawers from which they are retrieved as needed, to be stored again in the original location. The upper surface of the casing is marked with a label for easy retrieval of the carrier. Storage cases with the drawers occupy a considerable ground area. Manual manipulation is slow and demanding as far as the accuracy of restoring is concerned.
This drawback is removed by the devices for storing information carriers and for their subsequent selective manipulation. Such devices resolve not only the optimum usage of space but also reliable restoring of the disc-shaped information carrier in the original location, without any intervention of the human factor. In some devices, the disc-shaped information carriers are stored in rows next to each other. The retrieving mechanism travels, generally together with the playing unit, along the row of disc-shaped information carriers stored in the vertical manner. The vertical storage of disc-shaped information carriers brings the advantage that in order to stabilize their position only a groove suffices in which the disc-shaped information carrier fits with its edge. Upon playing the information, the retrieving mechanism also serves for restoring the disc-shaped information carrier in its original location in the row. Such a solution means insufficient usage of space, as for the retrieving mechanism travelling and possibly also for the playing unit, free space needs to be reserved permanently, having similar volume as the row of the disc-shaped information carriers stored, used on the short-term basis only when the retrieving mechanism travels, like e.g. in case of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,212. The design in which the retrieving mechanism is used for two opposite rows of the disc-shaped information carriers stored, like in case of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,744, resolves this problem partially only. Design according to the U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,511 represents better usage of space, in which the disc-shaped information carriers are distributed along a circular track in trays. In the middle of the circular track, the mechanism for selective manipulation with the disc-shaped information carrier is located. The trays are placed in layers above each other. Usage of space is better, however, since there must be a gap between individual trays, the density is still low. This necessary gap serves for insertion of the arm with the picker into the space between the trays without causing damage to any of the disc-shaped information carriers.